Sheep Suit
by bonney
Summary: A steady traveler is tailed by a forest-dwelling creature and can't seem to get away despite his best efforts. AU, Law/Bonney, oneshot, Red Riding Hood inspired.


I was listening to a cover of the song by Sam Sham and the Pharaohs while I was at work and that's where inspiration for the dialogue came from, so I can't take all the credit for coming up with that.

* * *

The forest was dense, and at this time of night, difficult to maneuver. There was a thick layer of fog just above the forest floor, making it nearly impossible to see your own feet below you and, consequently, easy to stumble over an unseen obstacle. He didn't falter, though—Trafalgar Law walked steadily and calmly, unaffected by the barrage of noises that came from the underbrush.

He was smart. He had a place to be so he didn't let himself get distracted by the shadows that he may or may not have seen lurking beyond the path; instead, he kept his eyes in front of him and tightened his heavy cloak around his body in an effort to keep out the damp chill. Every now and again he would hear a noise that pierced the eerie silence that had fallen over the wood, knowing that it was some small creature that happened to snap a twig or stir up a pile of leaves. More than once he had been forced to stop in order to let a squirrel or even a raccoon cross his path, but he never stopped for long.

He walked for some time, until a loud crack echoed, bouncing back against the trunks of the trees and making it hard to hear which direction it came from. He stopped and turned his head, struggling to see past his immediate surroundings and clenching his jaw when he couldn't. These woods were known for their danger; everyone was generally advised to traverse them during the day, and if that was impossible, in groups. It was unwise to travel alone after nightfall, as many still weren't quite positive exactly what lurked in the overgrown brush.

Law was about to find out. He shrugged the noise off and kept walking, only to be stopped by the sound of an … oddly feminine chuckle from nearby. Someone was there. His hand met the hilt of the dagger at his hip and he watched as the light conveniently shifted, and a form became visible perched on a low hanging branch just off to the side of the path. "Who's there?"

Another chuckle. The figure moved, lithe and predatory as it approached him. He was surprised to see a woman, if she could even be called that—her hair was long and untamed, and through the shadowy light he could see small twigs and brambles stuck in the knotted strands. She wasn't from any village, that was clear immediately. It took him another moment and another couple steps to notice that she wasn't particularly human, either. A pair of long, pointed ears protruded from the sides of her head and were lined with dark, thick fur. There were tufts of the same fur on her shoulders, elbows, along her arms, a tuft above her chest. She—it—smiled, a hungry expression, and he saw sharpened, tinted teeth. A ragged tail flicked idly behind her and when she unfolded her arms, Law could see fingernails that were more like talons, dirty-looking and caked with filth.

The oddest part, however, was not the outward appearance, but the hooded cloak that she had on, a bit similar to his. Unlike his, though, hers was the skin of a lamb, as though it would somehow help to hide what she was.

"You know, it's not safe for anyone to be wandering around the woods alone at night. Not even boys like you." Her voice was rough, much unlike the chuckles he'd heard earlier. There was a hint of a snarl in her warning, but he stayed as he was.

"I can take care of myself," he snapped back, instinctively pulling his cloak further around himself. He wanted to get away from whatever this was. But how was he supposed to do that?

She ignored him. "There's a lot of wolves in these woods." She moved closer, her eyes remaining trained on his. "You've got nice, big eyes … the kind of eyes that'll drive wolves mad." She offered a toothy grin, one that he didn't trust for a second. "You should let me walk with you for a little while. I'll make sure you don't get chased. You can call me Bon."

He snorted, stepping back and attempting to move around her to continue on his way. "I won't call you anything. Move." Law was careful not to get close enough to come in contact with her as he stepped around and back onto the path, walking and trying to put as much distance between them as possible. For a little while, he believed he was alone until he heard the quiet padding of bare feet behind him, and when he glanced over his shoulder he caught a glimpse of pink in the dim light. "Stop following me."

"You've got a nice face, you know that? What's your name?" She paused, waiting for an answer. When she didn't get one, she continued the conversation herself. "A mouth like that's going to lure someone bad. I'll keep you company for now, you don't mind, right?"

He tried to ignore her, but when she wouldn't stop talking it became difficult. He stopped and turned around, drawing the dagger and holding it up. "Stop following me. I don't want whatever you are walking with me."

She frowned. "Why's that?"

"How am I supposed to trust a creature like you?"

She smiled that same toothy grin and he frowned back at her, lowering the dagger as she hiked up the sheep skin. "There's nothing wrong with me! What's a baby sheep going to do to you? I'll stick around until you know that I can be trusted to walk with you."

His mouth hung open a bit but he quickly closed it, exhaling as he shook his head. Was he .. actually expected to believe that she was some kind of sheep? Turning on his heel, he started waking again, trying to ignore the sound of her behind him. There was silence, for the most part, for a little while longer and the path seemed to go on for miles. For a bit, he was even starting to think that she was done bothering him with pointless conversation and had given up, and hopefully she'd get bored of following him and retreat back to wherever she came from. He was wrong.

"I kinda like you, I think."

"What."

"If I could, I'd like to get closer to you. But I'm afraid that you think I'm one of the wolves that I'm trying to protect you from, so I won't."

She heard him sigh in exasperation, though he didn't turn around and instead kept walking, choosing not to answer her. She frowned again, furrowing her brows and quickening her pace to try and walk more closely with him. She looked down at her hands and to his back, reaching to try and snag the back of his cloak with her nails but failing. Having company was nice, even if they weren't particularly as eager as she was. While some of the wolves in the forest were dangerous, she wasn't—not towards humans, anyway. When she tailed travelers like this, it was normally out of a genuine desire to protect them as they made their way through the woods. She knew her sheep disguise didn't work but she kept it up anyway, though the reason wasn't apparent.

There was silence for most of the remaining journey. As they neared the edge of the woods, she spoke up again, stepping up to walk next to him rather than behind him. "I have a big heart, you know. All the better to lo—"

"No."

Law could see the end of the path; he wouldn't have much longer here. He paused, looking over at her and seeing another frown on her face. He sighed again, sheathing the dagger and straightening out his cloak. "My name is Law."

Bonney—as that was her name, though she commonly introduced herself as Bon—suddenly smiled again. "Even those bad wolves can be good, sometimes. I guess just walking here with you was nice, so I'll try to be satisfied by that."

Saying nothing, he continued towards the edge, knowing his destination was just beyond there. She stopped walking and he paused again, glancing back.

"I'll be here for your trip back, too."

"Whatever."


End file.
